Scientists have discovered a key fossil that links modern chelicerates like scorpions and spiders to their ancient Cambrian ancestors, clarifying a significant gap in the evolutionary history of these species. One of thefossils that have been used to trace the origins of spiders, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs. Credit: UNIL
Modern scorpions, spiders, and horseshoe crabs belong to the vast lineage of arthropods, which appeared on Earth nearly 540 million years ago. More precisely, they belong to a subphylum that includes organisms equipped with pincers used notably for biting, grasping prey, or injecting venom – the chelicerae, hence their name chelicerates. But what are the ancestors of this very specific group?This question has puzzled paleontologists ever since the study of ancient fossils began.
A fossil fills the gap between scorpions, spiders, and horseshoe crabs, and species from the Cambrian period . Credit: UNIL Still, the fossil has yet to reveal all its secrets. In fact, some of its anatomical features allow for a deeper understanding of the early evolution of the chelicerate group, and perhaps even link to this group other fossil forms whose affinities remain highly debated.
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